On This Date: Ex-College Hoopsters Make Their Mark on May 8 MLB Games

May 8th, 2016 - 6:49

Extra! Extra! Read all about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players! Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopsters had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a May 8 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

MAY 8

  • Jerry Adair (one of Oklahoma State's three leading basketball scorers in 1956-57 and 1957-58 while ranking among the nation's top 12 free-throw shooters each season) committed an eighth-inning miscue for the Baltimore Orioles against the Detroit Tigers in 1965, ending his MLB-record streaks for consecutive errorless games by a 2B (89) and consecutive chances handled without an error (438).

  • San Diego Padres RHP Mike Adams (played for Texas A&M-Kingsville in 1996-97) notched his fourth hold in nine days but was scored upon for the first time in last 16 relief appearances in 2011.

  • Philadelphia Phillies CF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) supplied five RBI in a 13-6 triumph against the Chicago Cubs in 1934.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers C Ferrell Anderson (Kansas letterman in 1936-37 and 1937-38) furnished four hits in an 8-5 win against the Cincinnati Reds in 1946.

  • LF Bob Cerv (ranked fourth on Nebraska's career scoring list in 1949-50 when finishing his career) acquired from the Los Angeles Angels by the New York Yankees in 1961 for his third tour of duty in pinstripes.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (five-sport athlete with Boston University) collected three doubles against the Cleveland Indians in 1932.

  • Cincinnati Reds 1B George Crowe (four-year letterman from 1939-40 through 1942-43 for Indiana Central after becoming first high school player named state's Mr. Basketball) clobbered two homers in a 7-6 victory against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957.

  • In 1948, Cleveland Indians RF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA titlist) whacked the longest home run at Washington's Griffith Stadium since Babe Ruth in 1922.

  • St. Louis Cardinals CF Taylor Douthit (California letterman from 1922 through 1924) contributed four hits against the Boston Braves in the first of six straight outings with multiple safeties in 1929.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates SS Dick Groat (two-time All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) provided three hits in each game of a 1955 doubleheader split against the New York Giants.

  • Philadelphia Phillies 1B Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt letterman in 1918) went 4-for-4 against the Chicago Cubs in 1934.

  • RHP Jay Hook (Northwestern's third-leading scorer with 10.7 ppg as a sophomore in 1955-56) traded by the New York Mets to the Milwaukee Braves in 1964.

  • Atlanta Braves 2B Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg for Texas A&M in 1961-62) delivered two homers and five RBI against the New York Mets in 1973.

  • LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State teammate of legendary HBCU coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) traded by the Milwaukee Braves with cash to the Detroit Tigers in 1963.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Bob Keegan (Bucknell letterman in 1941-42 and 1942-43) yielded three homers to Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame OF Ted Williams in a 4-1 defeat in 1957.

  • Detroit Tigers SS Harvey Kuenn (played briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) registered his second four-hit outing in a six-game span in 1956.

  • Chicago Cubs 3B Vance Law (averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77) went 3-for-3 with six RBI against the San Francisco Giants in 1988.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates SS Johnny Logan (played for Binghamton in 1948-49) hit safely as a pinch-hitter for the third straight time in 1963.

  • Chicago Cubs CF Jerry Martin (1971 Southern Conference MVP after he was Furman's runner-up in scoring the previous season) stroked four hits against the Cincinnati Reds in 1979.

  • Baltimore Orioles RHP Ben McDonald (started six times as freshman forward for LSU in 1986-87 under coach Dale Brown) won his first seven starts in 1994.

  • Philadelphia Phillies RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD guard for two years in mid-1930s) provided five RBI against the Cincinnati Reds in the nightcap of a 1949 twinbill.

  • Boston Red Sox 2B Marv Olson (All-Iowa Conference selection in 1929-30 with Luther IA) manufactured four hits in a 7-5 win against the St. Louis Browns in 1932.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers C-OF Don Padgett (freshman in 1934 excelled in multiple sports for Lenoir-Rhyne NC) smacked a decisive three-run pinch homer in an 8-5 win against the Cincinnati Reds in 1946.

  • Philadelphia Athletics 3B Billy Werber (first Duke All-American in 1929-30) supplied five RBI in a 7-6 against the Detroit Tigers in 1938.

  • New York Giants rookie 1B Babe Young (Fordham letterman in 1935-36) collected four hits and four RBI against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1940.